Do GP's receptionists have ti be so bastard rude?

[OHforDUCKScake]

Ive just had some blood results for my 22 month old that was like a punch in the fucking stomach so I may well be projecting my rage on the bitch that called me.

So, she calls, is this Ducks Mum?

Yes.

We have his blood results can you pick them up?

I say yes but I have a broken so I wont be able to for a few days, can she just give me the numbers now. (Im poised with a pen)

She literally sighs a big sigh, tuts. She fucking TUTS at me, says in a huffy teenage voice "we're really busy."

I say no problem and hang up.

I call their sister surgery and ask the receptionist there if she has time to read some blood results for my son, she does it takes 20-30 seconds.

Then mrsh Huffy Puffy calls me back again, she said I didnt let her finish. i said no, she made herself quite clear and I got the results from the other surgery so its no problem now. She starts tutting and huffing and puffing again, "oh well then, ."

I told her that she was incredibly rude on the phone and hung up.

Dont they fucking know some of these results are the difference between life and death? I quality of life?

Fcking bitch.

[PrettyFlyForAWifi]

I work at a GP practice and all the receptionists are utter bitches who revel in being nosy, judgemental and uncooperative. They actually disgust me. Conversely, the receptionists at my own GP are lovely to my face

[crashdoll]

YABU for making sweeping statements and respect is a two way street.

Just to add, the receptionist will not be giving life or death results over the phone. The doctor would phone. Dramatic, much?

[TraceyTrickster]

My surgery in S London was the first UK surgery where the staff were lovely and helpful. I'm now in Aus where the staff are lovely.

I used to work in a London health centre (not a receptionist) and the drs reception staff were, without fail, the rudest, most condescending people on earth. Two said it was because 'they were almost as good as doctors'.

I have also worked for DWP front line and we got a lot of abuse from 'clients'...the staff there seem no where near as rude as GP staff.

[ComposHat]

I think it is the kind of job that attracts jobsworths who seem to get off on their power as the 'gate keeper' to the Doctor. It seems to make them think they are a cut above other phone jockeys.

I have never been anything but polite and co-operative with Doctor's receptionists, but more often than not am encountered with rudeness and unprovoked hostility.

Their job is not uniquely difficult or stressful. It isn't hard to be pleasant to someone, especially if the person is going out of their way to be nice. I worked for social services and was politer to the person who yelled 'cunt' in my face before lobbing a table at my head.

[Lolapink]

Every doctors I have ever been to, I have lived in a lot of places. I have never met a doctors receptionist that is not rude. I know the job is probably stressful, but that is no excuse.

[rainbowslollipops]

The receptionist here has started asking what's wrong when we book an appointment. I don't wish to discuss my problem with you, I just want you to find a doctor or nurse that's free! Although if you get the bloke answeer the phone he's really lovely, doesnt ask questions that aren't necessary, books the slot, thanks you for calling and says "enjoy your day"

[sydlexic]

The receptionists at my GP's surgery are lovely. Yes they ask what the problem is, so they can put you with the right person, and prioritise appointments according to medical need.

They all have some medical training, can do blood tests etc.

I phone at 8 a.m and see the DR before 9.

[vladthedisorganised]

I've thought about this for some time, having had good and bad experiences with GP's receptionists, and can't help thinking that some aspects of their job must be bloody impossible.

My own surgery releases emergency appointments at 8:30, which have to be booked by phone. Standard appointments can be made on a walk-in basis but it can be a long wait (2-3 weeks IME).

There's no triaging as such but they do ask "Is it an urgent appointment?".
Now, there appear to be no guidelines for what constitutes "urgent" or not, so one person may think "it's an infected hangnail, so it must be urgent" and the next may think "seeing as I'm not actually at death's door and am well enough to phone/ come into the surgery, it probably isn't urgent although I keep passing out, can't see and my leg is falling off". The receptionists have no way of knowing who is being reasonable or unreasonable, so rely on what people tell them. They also have to keep a certain number of appointments free for the next batch of 'urgent' appointments, which are released at 2pm that day.

There's also no guidelines published on 'standard' appointment wait times, so more people are likely to say "it's really urgent" - and the receptionists have no way of knowing whether it actually is. Because the phones get tied up with 'urgent' appointments, more people walk in (I'm guilty of this) after waiting to get through, and have to be dealt with in some way or another.

So, faced with urgent appointments which may or may not be urgent, having to keep back a certain number of urgent appointments for people who may or may not phone later, not asking for detail because they're not qualified to do basic triage, and in all probability having a few desperate patients asking them what they can do while they wait for the non-urgent appointment; I think the biggest problem is the system they work in.
Not that this excuses some of the behaviour (see 'if your just-potty-trained 2yo uses the toilet now, then we'll cancel your appointment and you won't get another one for three weeks' - luckily the GP overrode that one), but I get really annoyed at the ludicrous system they have to work to.

[onefewernow]

The person who mentioned the general practice culture is right.

In schools, NHS and elsewhere, if the management or senior staff have a dismissive attitude, then it trickles on down.

[Consils]

Why are vets receptionists so lovely?

[Musicaltheatremum]

The reason they ask what's wrong is to help you. We have people who say that it's the heavy chest pain they've had all night. Cue put through to me as reall emergency or I think it's a urine infection. Cue reception say bring a sample down and we'll test it and sort you out.(most people know when they have one)


Also if I am busy seeing patients I can look at the message book, see what the patients who want to be seen have wrong with them (roughly) and in between seeing patients I can call and give telephone advice or I can say to the reception staff bring Jo blogs down at 11.00 or that will wait until later. So they are actually helping prioritise the people who need to be seen.

Trust me they don't want to be nosey it's the same sort of thing day in and day out and it gets to be routine for them. They put each call behind them and move onto the next one. I have patients who book an appointment to ask when their hospital appointment will be whereas if that comes up in triaging calls the receptionist will do that for you. In my surgery we only triage the calls once the ones on the day have gone. Sometimes it's about 2 or 3 calls and sometimes loads of calls it just varies.

I hope that explains it for some people.

My receptionists are really lovely and have been praised an awful lot.

However there are dragons around and there are some miserable ones in the surgery where I am a patient and as their waiting room can hear all the phone calls !!!! I have cringed when I have heard some of them speak.

[Piggychunk]

I'm a GP receptionist and I work at a lovely practice and its horrible to hear loads of you hate yours..
Our surgery has 3 GP's on at one time they see between 30-40 patients a day pls home visits .. We could stay open 7am till 10pm and still not have enough slots.. We have to ask roughly what is wrong if a same day appointment is needed as the Dr's just cannot see everyone which is rubbish but true.

If in doubt I always put a call down as the judgement should really be a clinical one way above my paygrade.

I'm shocked at how hated they are on here though :(

[Sunnymeg]

I think part of the problem is that if, like me, you have a background in customer service, their take it or leave it attitude does not help at all. I remember my husband taking me down to the surgery and insisting I have an emergency appointment as I felt unwell following an operation. The receptionist made a big deal about it saying what did I expect after having an op. She would only offer an appointment two days later. I never made the appointment as by then I was in the HDU department of the hospital with septicemia. We made an official complaint surprise, surprise.

[AnyoneforTurps]

Some receptionists are rude but I really do think it's a minority. I'm a GP myself but also do another job where I have to ring lots of practices. They don't know I'm a GP or anything to do with healthcare when I call. I'd say at least 80% are very pleasant, though there is undoubtedly a battleaxe minority.

I think the battleaxes just stick in the mind. It's like doctors saying that patients are rude. Some of them are but it's a tiny minority. The trouble is, that minority are so incredibly rude, they stick in the mind.

[Jelly15]

Most of the receptionists in my local surgery are fine except for one mean old bag.

When I was pregnan,t and at the stage where you go one a fortnight to clinic, my midwife said she wanted to see me in a week as my blood pressure was a little high and I had a bit of swelling in my hands and feet. However, at the desk, the receptionist refused me an appointment saying I only need to come again in two weeks. She wouldn't let me explain and talked over me in a patronising tone every time I tried to speak. It took another patient to come over and tell her to let me speak. When I eventually explained she said, "Why didn't so say then you silly girl." I was bloody mad and the patient said, "She did try." Lots of the sighing and eye rolling.

Another time I had an inconclusive smear and had a letter to make another appointment for the smear to be redone. The same receptionist told me, "No. you had one a month ago it is every three years you know." Me now being older and braver told her to mind her own business and do her job properly and make me an appointment. She then said, "For God's sake" and transfrred me to the nurse. I explained to the nurse I was just trying to make an appointment the receptionist had told the nurse I was cross because she had not done the smear properly. Thank goodness the nurse believed me and not that evil, trouble making cow.

[BitOutOfPractice]

While I realise that not ALL doctor's receptionists are vile, it does seem that a disproportionately large number are

[goldenlula]

Most of the receptionists at our surgery are nice, a couple are abrupt but I just ignore that. I got told of for going into our surgery to enquire about blood test results as apparently I should phone as it isn't confidential givin them over the counter.

[Bue]

The one at my new surgery is sooooooooo nice. Really friendly, polite and accommodating. I was gobsmacked when I rang and spoke to her the first time - I had limited days I could come in for a specific appointment and I had gotten myself all geared up for the fight I thought would ensue. I am never changing surgeries!

[Meringue33]

At my old surgery in a poor part of town you used to have to go and queue up for a same day appointment. On Monday morning the surgery opened at 9 and by 8 there'd be a queue of sick people shivering down the street. There was an old Chinese man ahead of me in the queue, coughing his guts up. After about two hours he finally got to reception, but wasn't registered or www.thebivouac.co.uk/something so the receptionist told him to go to A&E. Except he didn't speak English. So she just shouted the same thing at him over and over, louder and louder. Till eventually he gave up and just shuffled off in the snow.

[Meringue33]

Sorry, ignore link! Not sure how that happened

[toboldlygo]

I am essentially a GP receptionist, although for an OOH service, and while I can honestly say that every single one of our call handling staff are polite and helpful I can understand entirely why people tend to become horrid old battleaxes if they work patient-facing for more than a couple of years.

The majority of patients are very reasonable but the expectations of a vocal minority are just ridiculous and we take the abuse for it. People call at 3am with problems they've had for weeks or months, are incredulous that it may take up for an hour for a doctor to call them back and then demand expensive, time consuming home visits for the most spurious of reasons.

I interviewed for a position as a veterinary receptionist this week.

[HoppinMad]

The receptionists at my GP practice are ok, I havent clashed with them yet and they are helpful when we need an emergency appointment or prescription. However some can be extremely incompetent eg not booking me in the app system numerous times, but always manage to sort it so I do see my GP as planned.

I worked as a receptionist for 2 weeks before i quit, despite doing the course at college. I understand many working nowadays have no qualifications at all, which is understandable when the pay is so crap.
But anyway this job most definitely wasnt for sensitive mild, natured me. The other receptionists - well one actually, was a total bitch to me and wanted me gone so she could take my hours. The doctor was a total arrogant twunt who thought he was so superior than the rest and the sun shone out of his arse. Well it didnt. And finally the patients were total shits demanding appointments that we could not provide, as it worked on a weekly rota and that was on the orders of the GP/Practice Manager. I got verbal abuse from many patients in that fortnight of hell there, the final straw was being called a dog on the phone so thought feck this, it isnt for me.

And breathe.

Just to add, I think in many cases the patients are ill and/or worried so have very little patience, and mixed with an intolerant hard nosed receptionist, its a crap situation all round really.

[Highlander]

OMG, I have missed my vocation

[PlasticLentilWeaver]

You cut her off mid-sentence and hung up on her? She rang you back. She didn't have to do that. Sounds to me like the receptionist was not necessarily the rude one here.